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Origin and history

The Fort d'Asnières, also named Fort Brûlé, was built between 1876 and 1877 in the communes of Asnières-lès-Dijon and Norges-la-Ville (Côte-d-Or). He joined the Séré de Rivières defensive system, designed after the defeat of 1870 to protect Dijon, alongside seven other strong and reduced. Its polygonal plan, equipped with caponholes and a single Truck-type bridge, allowed an active defence of ditches and an armament of 44 artillery pieces served by 735 men.

The fort played no role in the two world wars. In 1944, the Germans, who used it as a ammunition depot, blew it up, destroying 90% of its structure. Only the salient II wing and the gorge façade (dated 1876-1877) remain today. Ranked a Historic Monument in 2006, it now belongs to a private owner and has been maintained by paintball associations since 1999.

Integrated with a fortified belt around Dijon with works such as the fort of Varois or the reduced of Mount Africa, Fort Brûlé illustrates post-1870 military architecture. Its two tanks (600 m2) were to provide a six-month autonomy in the event of a seat. Its crane system, innovative for the time, created a breach under the porch in case of attack, reinforcing its defensive vocation.

Today, although partially in ruins, the site bears witness to 19th-century military engineering and its adaptation to modern conflicts. Its history also reflects the destructions of the Second World War, marked by the explosion of 1944, which sealed its gradual abandonment before its re-appropriation by playful activities.

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